SALT LAKE CITY — People facing eviction from court-controlled land in the polygamous border towns of Hildale and Colorado City are writing the judge who oversees it, but she won’t read them.
Minutes from the case involving the FLDS Church’s United Effort Plan (UEP) Trust state that Judge Denise Lindberg has received a package of letters submitted by people living on UEP land and facing eviction for failure to pay occupancy feeds or property taxes.
“The letters sent to the court constitute ex parte communications,” the minutes said. “The Court cannot respond to or take action based upon ex parte communications.”
The judge ordered the letters sent back to the writers, directing them to take it up with the court-appointed fiduciary.
Read the judge’s notice here:
The UEP is based on the concept of a “united order,” where everything is put into a common pot and doled out according to wants and needs. The property is collectively owned.
In 2005, the courts took control of the UEP Trust amid allegations FLDS leader Warren Jeffs and others mismanaged it. The trust, with an estimated $110 million in assets, is deep in debt. Occupancy fees were assessed to manage it.
A meeting is scheduled for Saturday in Hildale to talk about evictions.
